"I'm sorry Mr. Hale but you can't go in. Nobody but the patient doctors and nurses are allowed into the Emergency room. You will have to wait out here."
"Fine but just do whatever it takes to save my wife." His grip on the Doctor tightened as if urging him to accept or else…
"We'll do our best." With that, the doctor hurried into the Emergency room to join his team.
Natalie watched her brother pace back and forth but kept quiet. Allowing guilt eat her up, whole.
"If I hadn't made her accompany me, none of this would have happened. She wanted to leave early and I talked her into staying. It's all my fault."
A part of her wished her brother would soothe her, just this once and dispute her claims.
"Santos, take her home." He didn't even spare her a glance.
"Yes Boss."
"No Nick, I'm staying right here. I'm not leaving." She wondered why he'd even think she would leave.
Through gritted teeth, Nicholas ordered again,
"Santos, take my sister home," he turned to look at her while he spoke to her.
"Santos would take you home now, text me when you get home." His tone told her it wasn't a good idea to argue with him. Lord knows what he might do now.
"Fine, I'll go. Call me if there's any news on Aurora." Then she looked at the door to the emergency room once more before walking away.
Aurora had never seen a place so beautiful in her life, how did she get here?
"This place is lovely, feels like a dream, one I don't want to awaken from." To her surprise, her words echoed like she was in a huge empty room.
"You shouldn't be here Aurora." A voice came from behind her. After all these years, she never forgot that voice.
"Mom?" She turned to see her mother looking radiant like her dream of what a fairy godmother looks like.
She immediately tried to hug her but for some reason, she couldn't and mother stepped farther away from her.
"Mom, I've missed you so much. Not a single day passes without me wishing you could come back to me."
"I've missed you too baby, but you have to leave, this place isn't for you, go now."
"No mom."
"You have to leave. I can't let you join me here, you have a bright future ahead of you."
"Mom, we could be happy here, just the two of us.
I don't want to leave, besides, I don't even know how to."
Meanwhile, in reality, Aurora was fading away. Life was slipping out of her little by little. Despite the doctors' efforts she had drifted into a deep coma that they couldn't seem to bring her out of. Her vitals kept lower. There was nothing left for them to do.
"Who's going to break the news to her husband?"
This wasn't something any of them enjoyed doing. Dr. Grant, the doctor he'd pulled aside immediately stated his disinterest in passing the information.
"Don't look at me, someone else should do it." But they all looked at him expectantly.
"Grant, you have a way with grieving people, you've got this." They all agreed. Fine, I'll do it.
"Mr. Hale…"
"Yes Doctor, how's my wife? Was the operation successful?" Nicholas asked as they moved his wife out of the ER.
"The surgery was a success… "
"Thank God! Can I go in to see her now?" Nicholas said with a smile that quickly faded when he saw the doctor's face.
"What's wrong? How's my wife?"
"I'm sorry but we did everything we could but she's unresponsive."
"What do you mean she's not responding? Is this some kind of a joke? You just said the surgery was a success. It's not a success if the patient doesn't get better."
He lifted the scared doctor by his coat, making him wriggle in the air for his freedom.
"Put him down before we call security."
Call security on him, that was a joke, right?
"I suggest you go in and have a look for yourself. Her injuries were severe, the last being the worst of them all. Only a miracle could awaken her right now."
Nick quickly rushed into the room.
"Aurora!"
Seeing her like this, pale, vulnerable and almost lifeless did something to him he couldn't fathom.
*****
"Stop holding on to this place and the dream of a life here. Go back and fulfill all you have planned to." Aurora's mother ordered Aurora.
Why was her voice getting louder?
"Mom, I need you." She said hoping her mom would change her mind.
"Leave Aurora, leave here!" she began to fade. It was like she was being cast out of this realm.
Then all she saw was darkness. She could hear voices but she couldn't make out what she heard. Moving was impossible, it felt like a heavy weight had been put on her, except her fingers…
"Did you see that? She moved her fingers!"
"Sir, this occurrence is quite normal before death."
"I swear to God, if you mentioned death one more time."
"I understand this is hard to take in but your wife has been confirmed brain dead. Letting her rest is the best thing to do. We'll leave you to decide." He was left alone with Aurora.
"I understand what they're saying but I don't believe it. If you could just move a little more, that's all the assurance I need." She didn't move.
Aurora still couldn't process words she heard but
she knew someone was talking to her…Nicholas. She tried to call out to him but she couldn't, her fingers refused to move again.
"A finger, an eye lid, anything. Just prove to me you're not dead."
He held her hands. Theirs wasn't a real marriage, it was sure to end but he didn't want it to end like this.
Minutes passed and still, no response from Aurora Nicholas had given up and was going to let the doctors unplug her. On his way to the door a soft voice stopped him.
"Nick?"
He couldn't believe it.
"Aurora? Did you call me?" he asked as he rushed back to her bedside.
"Nick I… " A violent seizure seized her, the monitor started beeping rapidly. Doctors and nurses rushed in and he was made to leave the room. Was this it? Aurora was going to die?